Nexus 7 now available from the Play Store in Korea

Google is expanding Play Store availability of its devices today by bringing the Nexus 7 to Korea directly. Sure the Nexus 7 has been out for some time now, but that doesn't mean its not still one of the best options when it comes to the 7-inch form factor. And any time that you can buy Google's products directly from them rather than a third party retailer is a bonus. Korea will have access to both 16 and 32GB versions, but there's no indication (although we're not great at reading Korean) that there's a mobile data version right at this moment.

Let's hope that Google continues this trend of bringing the Play Store -- and Nexus devices as a whole -- to more countries.

Sprint Optimus G Jelly Bean update rolling out now

LG Optimus G users on Sprint have something to cheer about today, as the Jelly Bean OTA update has just started its rollout. As newer versions of the Optimus G have started to come out of the box with Jelly Bean on board, it's good to see Sprint keeping up with the update on the original devices that came first. Users will get the whole suite of Jelly Bean updates like Google Now, Project Butter and resizable widgets with this update. The stock ICS browser is being replaced by Google Chrome as well.

The new software is based on Android 4.1.2 -- version LS970ZVA LS970ZVB -- and will be rolling out in phases starting today. Seeing the update on your device yet? Head to the Sprint Optimus G forums and let other members know what your experience has been with the update.

Scope update brings new UI, host of new feeds, advertising and Android Central

The last time we heard from Scope, the all-in-one social aggregator, they were opening up a VIP program for interested beta testers. We've been part of the VIP program since it began, and some interesting features have been introduced which are now ready for the prime time and pushing out through Google Play. With this update, Scope is taking a big step forward into becoming a personalized news service more than a social media aggregator.

Scope has gone from operating with just a handful of social networking services, to now containing over 20 different services -- including your favorite Android resource. That's right, one of the new news services contained within Scope is an "Android News" feed, provided by Android Central.

The UI has also been updated, with a slide out menu that replaces the previous swiping between feeds. It's pretty slick, and brings a little more order to things than endlessly swiping between your feeds.

One change which may disappoint some users though is the introduction of in-app advertising. This isn't a decision that the developers took lightly by any means:

Path update hits Android with messaging, stickers and 'The Shop'

Path has just been updated to add private messaging, stickers and "The Shop" to fall in line with the update that hit iOS yesterday. If you're not familiar, Path is a social network that is limited to a set number of friends, which is meant to enhance the relationships you build with the smaller group. This latest update is hoping to help with that by offering private messaging between users, as well as "stickers" that can be sent back and forth. Some of the stickers are free, but others are paid -- in the range of $0.99 to $1.99. If you want to make a sticker purchase, you'll have to head to The Shop, where you can also buy filters for photos you post (a la Instagram) at $0.99 a piece.

The update certainly adds a useful feature in the form of private messages, but still leaves us scratching our heads over paid stickers and photo filters. If you haven't checked out Path in a while, maybe the new update is worth it for you to give another look. You can grab a download from the Play Store link above.

LG Optimus G Pro updated for messaging, camera improvements

A quick heads up for those of you in Korea with the U+ version of the LG Optimus G Pro -- there's a small update waiting for you that apparently improves messaging and camera functionality. And that's all we've got. The update (actually, we had two updates) took just a few minutes, and the end result was software version F240L10L.

If you've got one of these underrated, oversized phones, head into the system settings to give it a go.

Motorola makes the Droid RAZR/MAXX Jelly Bean OTA official

We had some pretty interesting information regarding a Jelly Bean soak test for the original Motorola Droid RAZR and RAZR MAXX, and now Motorola has made the update official. The support page has just gone up indicating that the update will be rolling out in phases, as is usually the case. There's no specific note about the removal of the Motorola apps and being replaced by stock Google apps, but this looks to be the same update that we were seeing before.

Seeing the update on your own device yet? Shout out in the forums to let other members know what your experience is.

The broad strokes are that 26 percent of smartphones connecting to Gogo's service are Android, with the rest running iOS. (BlackBerry and Windows Phone total just 0.016 percent.) That might not seem like a lot, but Gogo is showing a 400 percent increase in total Android use from 2011 to 2013. That's assuming the devices are correctly reporting what they're running of course, so if anything those numbers are probably low.

Nexus 4 Launches in Japan

This has been an exciting couple of months for Google fans in Japan. First the Nexus 10 launches, then the 3G Nexus 7, and now finally the Nexus 4. The Japanese product page is up, giving a rundown of everything Google's latest flagship phone has to offer. The hardware looks identical to the U.S. version, pentaband HSPA+ radio and all. The current shipping time is 1-2 weeks, and both the 8 GB model and 16 GB model are currently available.

And good news for those looking to accessorize - order pages for the wireless charging orb and bumper case are also up, however the bumper is currently out of stock.

Reviewing Humble Bundle 5: NightSky HD

The Humble Bundle is an awesome way to get some great new games for a great price, but also support developers and charities at the same time. The 5th iteration of Humble Bundle has six games up for offer, some of which are making their Android debut through the sale. We're going to take a look through these titles one by one, starting off with NightSky HD.

Hang with us after the break and learn a little bit about NightSky, a fun puzzle game cast in black and white scenery.

We'll let that sink in for a minute. This one's been a long time coming.

In addition to the expected Google improvements, such as Google Now, Project Butter, better notifications and all those other improvements we've been enjoying on other phones for some time, you'll get:

AT&T Locker, so you can store your photos, videos and docs in the cloud. Which you can also do just fine without AT&T-specific software.

AT&T DriveMode, which can be set up to send custom replies to incoming messages once your phone (presumably in a car) is going more than 25 mph. This is a good thing. Use it.

AT&T Messages: A single inbox for texts, calls and voicemails, accessible from your phone, tablet or computer. Should interesting.

AT&T says the update should be available any time now, though we don't see it yet, and now we've got that blasted "You can't check for updates again for another 24 hours," which is as annoying as ever.

Motorola swaps in stock apps in Droid RAZR/MAXX Jelly Bean soak test

The folks in our Motorola DROID RAZR and DROID RAZR MAXX forums are all aflutter this morning, and rightfully so. A new software soak test -- wherein a few brave souls get in some final testing before the real push begins -- is hitting devices, and Motorola's own changelog for the Android 4.1.2 update confirms something surprising: Custom software features are being replaced by stock Google apps -- or are being removed altogether.

Consider:

Removed apps: Social Location, MOTOACTV, MOTOPRINT and Verizon Video on Demand are history. Kaput. Alarm and Timer are being replaced by the stock Google Clock app.

LTE-capable Sony Xperia Tablet Z hitting Japan on Mar. 22

If you're in the market for a 10-inch Android tablet, Sony's Xperia Tablet Z is one of the more compelling non-Nexus offerings out there, as we discovered during our time with the device at Mobile World Congress. There's no fixed Western release date for the tablet just yet, but as ever Japan's getting first dibs on this new Sony device, with carrier NTT Docomo announcing Japanese availability of its 4G LTE version from Mar. 22. Pre-orders are scheduled to begin from this Saturday, Mar. 9.

Like the Wifi-only version we saw in Barcelona, the LTE-equipped Tablet Z is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU at 1.5GHz, with 2GB of RAM, a 1080p display and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean backing up Sony's Xperia UI. It's also sporting an incredibly thin chassis design, and at 6.9mm thick, Sony says its tablet is the world's thinnest.

The Sony Xperia Tablet Z with LTE will set Japanese buyers back a hefty ¥85,470 ($913) at launch. For more on the Xperia Tablet Z, check out our hands-on feature from MWC.

ASUS is all about crazy devices that double as other devices -- take the Padfone Infinity and Fonepad, announced last week at MWC, for instance. Today the Taiwanese manufacturer has launched an equally outlandish entrant into the all-in-one PC market, the ASUS Transformer AiO.

By day, the AiO is a humble Windows 8 PC; by night (or, you know, whenever), it detaches from its stand to become an Android 4.1 tablet. That's because it's actually two devices in one -- the Windows side is powered by a third-generation Intel Core i5-3350P CPU (8GB of RAM, 1TB of storage), whereas the Android tablet UI runs on an NVIDIA Tegra 3 chip (2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage). Both operating systems come to life on the 18-inch 1920x1080 LED display, which makes the AiO the largest commercial Android tablet we can think of.

It's a little perplexing to see Windows 8 and Android side-by-side on this kind of device, not least due to Microsoft's keenness to promote Windows' tablet credentials. But ASUS is also touting the AiO's ability to run Windows 8 in remote desktop mode on the tablet UI, so you'll have that option open to you while you're in tablet mode.

The ASUS Transformer AiO is due for release during the second quarter, and will be priced at $1299 in North America.

AT&T bringing LTE to four more cities

AT&T has kicked out an early morning (or late evening, depending on where you hang your hat) set of press releases about LTE network expansion. The following cities should be lit up and ready to go on AT&T's LTE network:

News Corp. to release education focused 10-inch Amplify tablet

News Corp. will be announcing a 10-inch Android tablet designed for K12 schools Wednesday at the SXSWedu conference in Austin, Texas according to the New York Times. Led by former chancellor of New York City schools Joel Klein, News Corp.'s Amplify division is aiming to make headway with Android into the school system, and their first offering is an ASUS built tablet, an entire curriculum, and the infrastructure to support it all.

The tablet uses what Amplify is calling a “blended learning” model that combines new technology with current teaching methods. When a student starts to drift away from the prepared lesson, they will be warned with a pop-up advising them to put their "eyes on teacher". In addition, students will be able to take their tablet home each night, and use it to play educational games.

A tablet running the special software, training, and customer care options starts at $299, with a two-year subscription for an additional $99 yearly. For students without Internet access at their homes, a premium model will be available with a 4G data plan at $349.

The pricing is reasonable, and it appears that News Corp. is serious about providing support. It's nice to see Android move into a space once dominated by Apple and Microsoft, and we wish everyone involved the best of luck.